My daughter has just been getting over a cold. A stuffy nosed cold. Poor lamb. It is during times like these that I am happy to be a breastfeeder. Do you know what can help a stuffy nosed baby to breathe easier? A squirt of breastmilk up the nose! I did this with my eldest daughter as well and was always pleased with how quickly her stuffiness eased up.

It can be a little tricky to get it up there, especially if your baby is expecting you to aim that nipple at her mouth and tries to follow it with an eager and ready latch. You will most likely cover your baby’s face, yourself, and the couch with a few squirts of milk, but keeping aiming and eventually you’ll get some in those nasal passages. It always took me a few tries, especially when my girl was trying to move out of the way or trying to latch on the moving target. It is well worth the effort.

I have also been known to squirt breastmilk into my daughter’s eyes when they’ve been a little crusty and on small cuts. I have actually given my husband a squirt on a particularly nasty scratch on his arm. But don’t stop there! There are a variety of ailments that can benefit from the healing powers of breastmilk:

pink eye
sore, cracked nipples during those first few weeks of nursing (express some milk onto your nipples and allow them to air dry)
mosquito bites
diaper rash
ear infections (squirt into the ear)
acne (squirt onto the face)
chapped lips
vaginal dryness (pump or hand express and use as a lubricant- think KY Jelly)

So go ahead, give a loved one (or yourself) a squirt!

A friend of mine went on a trip to Vegas recently. While she was there she made a trip to the local Victoria’s Secret store for some yummy bra’s. Her score reminded me that I really need to do some bra shopping myself. I have been putting it off for a while now and I’m not doing my breasts any favors. It can just be so hard finding a good nursing bra! I am always on the lookout for hot bras as a nursing mom. In the recent past, I have found some, sadly not in my local area, so I have to order online or travel a bit to get a look-see. My girlfriend swore she saw nursing bra’s during her shopping spree at Victoria’s Secret. Hello! Nursing bras at Victoria’s Secret?!?! Yeah!

When I first heard this I thought they must have some super-sexy bras to offer the nursing mama, then I took a look. They have two, but they are not super-sexy, laced out bras. They are kind of similar in style to the typical Walmart Warners. Although, that nursing plunge bra is kind of hot, if you love the plunge neckline, which I do.

I don’t think we have any Victoria’s Secret stores in Canada, but we do have the infamous catalogue. I wish I could touch and feel those bras before purchase. Anyone using a Victoria’s Secret nursing bra? Especially that plunge bra, it really is hot.

I have always been an on-demand breastfeeder. I know many of my friends could not function that way and were surprised that I did not fall into the “babies must be fed on a schedule” brand of feeding. But I am just not a scheduler. If my baby is hungry, how could I refuse her saying ” oh honey, you just have to wait one more hour for your regularly scheduled feeding.” That is just not something I could do, I don’t have the heart. I’m sure scheduled feeding can instill a sense of sanity in the crazy world that is parenting, but I am one that does well flying by the seat of my pencil skirt, most times anyway.

If you are a breastfeeding mama on a schedule with an iPhone in your purse, then I have found the iPhone app for you!  Check out the Baby Tracker: Nursing, a new iPhone application that helps you keep track of which breast you last fed your baby on! No more safety pins pinned to your bra, rubber bracelets or beaded cuffs.

Want an app to help you keep track of more than just breastfeeding? Try Trixie Tracker, an application optimized for the iPhone created to help you keep track of feedings, pumping, milk inventory, diaper changes, sleep schedule, pumping and other baby-related tasks.

If Vista wasn’t enough to convert me to Apple, this just might be.

I have always been proud that I breastfed my eldest daughter until she was 2.5 yrs old. It is longer than most of my friends and relatives, and longer than the national average. It is a rare occurance to see, especially in public. So much so, that while I was nursing my daughter in front of City Hall a woman walked up to me to tell me how excited she was to see me nursing a toddler and gave me a flyer for a mom’s group she frequented. It may be rare to see a mom nursing a toddler in public, but I would say it is rarer still to see such an outpouring of support. I am often surprised atmost reactions when I tell people I nursed my daughter for so long. Most are shocked, some in awe, and some are just bewildered.

Although breastfeeding rates are slowly rising, the rates for extended nursing are still dismal. Only 28% of Canadian babies are breastfed by the time they are 6 months old (StatCan, 2003) and they are even lower fror older children despite Health Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society recommending that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life with continued breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond. Maybe public opinion and reaction to nursing toddlers have something to do with the dismal rates. Some people seem outright disgusted and grossed out at the thought, never mind the visual. I admit, at first I was a little nervous about breastfeeding my 2 year old in public. The looks you get, geez! But I live to breastfeed in public and I strive to live by example. I do believe that in order to help the general public become well adjusted to breastfeeding in public, they must see it. And they must see it so frequently that it becomes a natural part of the environment. NO matter the age of the child.

If you don’t have children of your own, it may be hard to picture nursing a 2 year old, or a 3 year old, but a 2 year old is still a baby in many ways, and really don’t they deserve the benefits of breastmilk just as much as a 6 month old? Really, the whole human race should be drinking breastmilk! We should have nursing moms hooked up to double-pumpers pumping breastmilk to sell in stores, not the cow’s milk that is really meant for cows. Ever wonder why some humans have a strong intolerance to the milk of other mammals? Maybe because that milk wasn’t meant to cross species. We can all benefit from breastmilk.

Then there is the emotional side. You can force wean a child, but if they’re not ready, you may have a struggle on your hands as you try to replace the comfort of nursing with something new. For a child, breastfeeding is nutritive and emotionally bonding. As a nursing mom, it can also be difficult to stop nursing your baby especially if they are not ready to wean. It doesn’t matter if that baby is 1 yr or 2yrs old. It is equally difficult for the mom if the child self weans when the mom wasn’t ready to stop nursing.

So, how long is too long to nurse for you? There are many people casting judgement on a British mom who is still breastfeeding her 8 year old daughter. There are clips from a documentary that were circulating around the internet a while back. If you’re interested, you can watch it on YouTube. I don’t think I would be able to continue breastfeeding for so long, but I would never cast judgement on another mom who chooses to allow her child to decide when to stop. I know myself and I’m certain I would want my body back to myself way before then, but I certainly do not think we should allow societal pressures or social mores to dictate the age it is appropriate or inappropriate for a child to breastfeed.

So tell me, how long have you or do you intend to breastfeed? How long is too long for you?